Rise of the Guardians: A Romantic Sequel
by WintryBerry
Summary: There's more to Pitch than meets the eye and Jack's curiosity gets the best of him when he finds that he and pitch aren't so different after all. What will happen to Jack if he descends into the place of Pitch's imprisonment? Read to find out. -Story line picks up at the end of the movie.
1. Late Meeting

The skeleton bed was gone. Only a patch of darkened earth marked the place where Pitch Black, king of nightmares, had vanished. Jack Frost flew over the unmarked grave several times a day. It was between the small town he visited and the frozen pond he considered his home base. It would be a simple thing to go around, but that would be admitting that something about the place bothered him, besides, it was the most direct path.

The half-set sun cast a sparkling glow across the frozen water. Even if most of the children could see him, they still went home to their families at the end of the day. Leaving him, once more, alone. Jack lay face up on the ice, hands behind his head and staff at his side. Mentally, he tried to remember the last time he'd been around someone who could see him and was close to his own age...physically at least, no human could match his life span. A soft noise echoed in the background, causing him pull out of his revere and sit up...It sounded like falling dirt and gravel. It came again, he was up, staff in hand. His silent feet left no prints on the fresh snow. The disturbance was coming from the clearing...the one he tried not to think about. Taking to the air, Jack looked down. A black hole had reopened in the ground. Tendrils of darkest shadow barely visible at its edges. A gasp could be heard from within, as if someone had taken a deep breath. _Not possible... _He landed next to the oddity and looked closer, more inquisitive than afraid. Nothing was visible. Extending his staff, he sent a vine of ice down into the pit. Another intake of breath came from the darkness, one of surprise.

"Jack Frost, is that you?" a familiar velvety voice said from within.

Jack steped back a couple of paces, wasn't the nightmare king gone and buried? He bent his knees, preparing to take off and warn the other guardians.

"Wait!" said the voice almost angrily.

"Why should I wait or listen to a word you say after all you've done?"

Silence for a moment and then "As much as it pains me to admit it, I hardly pose a threat...the 'guardians' and yourself made sure of that. Why bother them now when

I can no longer harm a soul, as a matter of fact...I can't even leave this pit".

Jack stood unmoving, a frown spanned his features. "Why put the effort into opening a window to the surface then, if not to escape and spread your fear?"

"...Even a creature of the night such as myself enjoys breathing fresh air".

It was such an unexpected answer that Jack actually laughed, he tried to muffle it, but...

"You dare laugh at _ME_?"

"Oh, I dare, as you say, you're too weak to rise up out of that hell hole. If you could, I suspect you would've done it already" he said in a snarky voice.

"Not now...but someday darker times will come to the earth once more and that's when I'll make my move".

"We won't allow such times to come about again, your day will never come".

"The small powers of the guardians are no match for the amount of hate and destruction humans can wreak upon this planet, such times have always come since the earliest days of man".

"You're forgetting that the opposite is also true, times of light have always come to overcome the darkness".

Pitch ignored his comment "What are you going to do then? I'm imprisoned here and like you, I am immortal. You cannot destroy me completely".

"...I suppose I'll just leave you there and ignore you then. Don't even try to come out, indifference is the only mercy you'll receive from me and it will only be given while you're in that hole."

"That's all I wanted...for now."

The statement was too open ended for Jack's liking. "Whatever". As pitch said, he couldn't die, his only weakness was loss of power and he had already lost all of his. He pushed off the ground and ascended into a tree. The pine needles brushed the exposed skin of his hands and face. A wide branch in the middle made an excellent perch. He settled down for the night, having made the decision to keep watch for a time.

"Are you there, Frost?"

Rather than answer, Jack sat up and grabbed a large handful of snow. Carefully, he formed it into an icy sphere and lobbed it with excellent accuracy into the opening. He heard a muffled splat. A soft laugh echoed up from the ground.

"You'll have to do better than that, why don't you come down here?"

"Why in the hell would I go down there?"

"Oh, I don't know, curiosity, anger, idiocy...I can name a few more" Pitch's voice said sarcastically.

"If I came down there, it would be to turn you into an icicle ".

"I may be trapped down here, but there's no way you'd catch me in my element".

"I think you'll find I could if I cared to...why are you even talking to me, we're supposed to hate each other".

"Boredom. After several centuries of imprisonment and only a moment of freedom you learn to take a little conversation where you can get it".

"I see...there's something I've been wondering...all of the guardians were human or had a different life at some point, but what about you? You couldn't always have been as you are now".

"I'll tell you _if _you come a little closer".

Jack hesitated. This was something he had wondered for some time and he kind of really wanted to know the answer. "I guess, but I'm only sitting on the ground, nothing you say could convince me to jump inside that-

"Jack, Jack no need for foul language"

"You don't know what I was going to say, besides I'm up here and you're down there. Therefore, I can say what I please".

"Watch it, or I may just become determined enough to find a way out and shut you up".

Jack cocked his head, what was this vibe? "There's no way that's happening" he said, floating back down to the gap's edge. "I came down, tell me".

"So impatient, that may get you into trouble someday...but for now I'll tell you some of my story. Long before you were born, I had my own mortal life. I loved my family. My dear little sister was years younger than myself. My father, a busy man was often absent and my mother sickly. So, her care often fell to me and I enjoyed every moment of it...but at twenty two I knew it was time to leave and make my own way. I visited often, but while I was away something happened, something recorded in history books today...The black plague. By the time I reached them, my mother and father were gone, their dead bodies wasting away inside our home while my sister, half gone herself, watched. The epidemic was bad enough at this point that people only worried about themselves and their own family. I'll spare you the gory little details, in the end she wasted away too while I watched. I wanted to join them, I wished for the plague, but it never came for me. Such misery took me that I desired only the darkness and my waking visions were nightmares. Until I died a half death and became the creature I am now, the night having chosen to truly make me its own". As he told the story his voice had changed ever so slightly, it had lost its sarcastic tone and a hint of deepest pain had colored his voice.

Jack was shocked into silence for several minutes. He felt a sadness for Pitch, whose entrance into immortality had been so much different than his own. His human memories were still coming back to him and not all of them were happy, but at least that existence had ended in the rescue of his sister. "I'm sorry for you" he said, feeling behind his voice.

"I don't want your pity" Pitch said, some of the old venom back.

"It wasn't Pity I was expressing and despite the fact that what happened to you was horrible, what you became and what you've done since was and has been your own decision. It sounds like your start to life wasn't too terrible, bad things have happened to you and you've done bad things, why not turn over a new leaf? Do you truly wish to spend years imprisoned only to start the same cycle over again?"

"This is what I am and have been for too long to change. I am as I should be, feared and hated".

Jack let out a frustrated breath. Why was this man so damn stubborn? He suspected Pitch's brand of tenacity had grown stronger over his lengthy life span. "Some part of you still longs for a family, for someone to believe in you. Didn't you say as much to me once? You've just gone about it the wrong way".

"JACK! You aren't understanding, I'm not human anymore, I can't just suddenly choose to be a different being, this is what I am" he said again, more volume to his voice this time, more anger.

Jack could hear Pitch's voice fading in and out almost as if he were pacing. He felt his own frustration level rising. Now that he knew some of the reasons behind Pitch's actions he couldn't leave it alone. Impulsively, he uncrossed his legs, stood and dropped into the opening. It had almost been dark above, but it was, well, pitch black, down in the cavern of sorts.

"You must be feeling brave Jack, to come down into the one place I still have power...and you can't see a thing".

"As much as I'd like to whack you, there's something more important I've come down here to do" he said, turning this way and that, trying to locate something in the inky dark.

"Oh? What would that be?" said Pitch's voice from a different location followed by a silky laugh. He seemed to be circling in the dark, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.

"I'm going to forgive you".

"What?"

"I said, I'm going to forgive you".

"I don't want your forgiveness"

"You may not want it, but to me it looks as if you became this way by hating yourself. If someone can forgive you for what you've done, maybe you can forgive yourself...and begin to change".

Silence. Jack gripped his staff tightly, ready to fend off an attack should it come.

Then, something happened that he did not expect. From behind, arms wrapped around his waist and held him in a close embrace. His staff fell from his hands and he stiffened in surprise. Soft hair brushed his cheek. After the initial moment of shock had faded he didn't know what to do. It felt...good...to be held, had anyone ever embraced him like this?

"So long I've lived, Jack Frost, and no one has tried to understand a thing about me in all that time...yet you do so in mere minutes. I find it utterly charms me".

Jack, for once, was speechless. He didn't dislike Pitch's touch somehow...in fact he felt himself involuntarily melt a little bit. Suddenly the embrace ended and Pitch drifted back into the dark. Jack took a step backwards, a little unsteady.

"So...you'll...try to change?" he said, a little breathy. His own voice sounded strange to him.

"I'll consider it...are you saying you'll help me?" light sarcasm had returned to Pitch's voice.

"Definitely, the shape you're in you'll need all you can get" Jack had recovered some of his bravado.

"You think so?" the voice came a few feet from him.

"Y-yes".

He almost jumped when two hands, rested on his shoulders. Despite Pitch's harsh manner, his touch was feather light. Jack stood unmoving, half tempted to fly and half wanting to find out what Pitch was going to do. His indecision froze him in place. Pitch's hands traveled down Jack's shoulders to his waist and he inexplicably drew Jack closer. Jack felt blood rising to his face and was suddenly grateful for the darkness covering the blue tinge there. Pitch's limbs, he noted somewhere in the back of his mind, didn't feel any warmer than his own, another cool-blooded being. Suddenly, Pitch was smoothly pushing him backward. Jack was surprised to find his back pressed against a stone wall.

"What are yo-"

"Shhh, be quiet" Pitch said softly.

The velvety voice sent a shiver down Jack's spine. One of Pitch's hands left Jack's waist, slid down his arm and wrapped around his wrist. Slowly, Pitch raised their connected arms and pinned Jack's to the wall above their heads. Jack could feel Pitch's breath on his face. A scent of rain and night time enveloped him. Ever so lightly, Pitch brushed Jack's lips with his own. The barest of kisses. Jack's breath hitched and he leaned weakly against the wall, his free hand gripping the icy stone. Before he could recover his senses, Pitch was kissing him again. This one more intense than the last. Pitch pressed his lips firmly to Jack's and his thumb traced circles on the inside of Jack's wrist. Feeling as if he might slide down the wall, he raised his free arm and grabbed onto a fistful of the cloth at Pitch's back. Pitch seemed to take this as an invitation to take it up a notch. His lips parted slightly and the tip of his tongue lightly traced Jack's lower lip. Jack felt his own lips part in response and he moaned almost imperceptivity against Pitch's mouth. He tasted burnt sugar and felt the vibration of Pitch's silent laugh against his chest. Seeming to sense Jack's weakening legs, Pitch pulled him more firmly to his own body until they were almost flush against one another. Jack could feel himself grow dizzy and he realized faintly that Pitch was suporting most of his wieght. After what seemed like seconds or maybe hours, Jack wasn't really sure, they broke apart. He gasped in a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Jack...maybe you should leave for now, if you stay I can't say what I will do" he pulled back a little but didn't completely let go.

"Yes..I-I'd better go, some things I've got to do..." he pulled away and stumbled backward over the uneven surface in the dark. The shadows covering the opening to the surface drifted aside and starlight was visible overhead. Without looking around, he bent and shot upward, hitting his head on the ceiling next to the exit. He cringed mid-air in pain, rubbing the spot.

"It's nice to see the effect my kissing skills have, but be careful, Frost...Goodnight, see you soon"

Jack looked back just long enough to catch his first glimpse of Pitch that night, only a glint of golden eyes. This time he made it out without incident or injury. His mind oddly blank after what had just happened he went straight to the place he knew best, the frozen pond. He lay down on the center of the ice, flurries of snow fell to cover his clothes and stick un-melting to his hair. In the places Pitch had touched he felt a phantom ache. All he could think was; _what the hell have I gotten myself into? _


	2. Come in My Cave

Jack didn't need to sleep. Sometimes he felt a weariness more of mind than body that caused him to seek a respite in solitude, but that was about the extent of it. Not for years and years could he remember such a desire to shut down his brain in order to stop thinking. Certainly, he'd begun to desire something more than the simple friendship of children, but never in his wildest thoughts had he imagined finding it with Pitch Black. He had to admit to himself that there had always been a certain sort of unspoken connection between. Both had watched centuries pass, unseen by the humans around them, searching for simple acknowledgment of existence. From what he remembered of his past life, there hadn't been anyone of that special persuasion. His village had been tiny with only a handful of children and teenagers. Even with his lack of past experience, he knew he hadn't truly disliked what had conspired. It had been awkward, strange even...but it hadn't felt completely wrong somehow. Jack passed most of the night thinking such thoughts, unable to calm down or get comfortable. In the end, it came down to his declaration of forgiveness, he told himself. If he ignored the other immortal it would seem as if he had gone back on his word. Having made a decision, the thought of re-entering Pitch's lair seemed both daunting and...A little alluring. The dawn light was soft and grey. While he'd been distracted a wall of storm clouds had rolled in. It was either going to pour...or a blizzard was brewing. He did have some control over winter weather, but this thing was massive. Perched at the top of an old oak he looked out across the woods to the town, snow had already begun to fall there. All of the children were likely to be inside, school was sure to have been canceled and the snow was already coming down too heavily for play. He had just touched the ground when a strong wind whipped his face and snow flurries began to fall in heavy waves. It was a white out in the making. Even though the cold didn't have an effect, he didn't feel like getting blasted out in the open. The nearest shelter just happened to be...Pitch's lair. Even the elements seemed to be push him toward the nightmare king. Yet, he still hesitated, the memory of Pitch's hands on his waist, the strangely airy kiss. His blood rose again, expressing his private embarrassment. It wasn't like him to overthink things, it was always act now, consequences later...why should this time be any different? He chose to put the why, how and what out of mind for now. Answers, he hoped, would become apparent in their own time.

Even in the filtered daylight the entrance seemed to be made of welling shadows. Standing at the edge of the clearing, Jack pondered on what he should say. He wasn't sure if he'd even be able to help Pitch find a better existence than the one he currently occupied. Did someone as messed up as himself even have the right? But who else was there? Memories of his human family rose to his mind's surface. A man shivered alone in the snow, dark woods all around...his foot at an odd angle. Even though the man was obviously hurt he smiled and waved, the memory ended with the man shrinking into the distance. Another memory of an older man yelling, a hand coming toward him, pain. These flashes had come to him at random moments, he didn't know if something was triggering them or if his mind was simply restoring itself slowly. Either way, these visions were frightening and confusing. They were memories he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to get back. Instead, he chose to cling to memories of his sister, memories of laughter.

He came back to himself to find that he'd unwittingly reached the edge of the hole. Jack tried unsuccessfully to peer into the depths, it was like looking at a circle of night. No voice issued forth today, in fact, the silence was almost eerie. The world might have seemed frozen if not for the quickly falling snow. Suddenly, a rope of shadow shot up and out of the opening and wrapped around one of Jack's ankles. He looked down just before his feet were swept out from under him. His staff went flying backward and he was pulled unceremoniously underground. Automatically, his body tensed for impact. It never came. Jack found himself hanging upside-down in the dark. He mentally cursed himself for dropping his staff top side.

"PITCH! How long are you going to leave me hanging here?"

No answer for a moment, then came that spine tingling laughter. A small amount of pale light filtered down from above. It illuminated Pitch, who was seated on a chair created from his own shadow. Legs crossed and his chin resting in one hand, he looked very amused. "I didn't think you'd be back quite so soon, Jack".

"I wasn't left with much of a choice, there's a blizzard big enough to take down the power lines brewing up there" he said, crossing his arms.

"I guess you're stuck down here for a while then" Pitch replied, his smirk becoming more pronounced.

"...Looks that way...you know...I'm still upside down".

"Yes, I kind of like you that way, compromised".

Jack let out a frustrated sigh and reached up to release his leg. The shadow rope simply evaded his hands. "You're lucky I don't have my staff, otherwise you'd be a Pitchcicle".

"I'm glad, it's more fun this way. Now...what to do with you?" Pitch approached Jack who hung several feet above him.

"You just happened to catch me by surprise yesterday, I'm not that easily unhinged".

"Oh? Why don't we put that statement to the test then, because you're obviously SO experienced. I've even let some light in today".

Jack's pride wouldn't let him back down from a challenge. "Whatever, just because I'm hanging here doesn't mean I won't defend myself".

"You won't even have time to raise a finger"

Before Jack could make another smart remark, the rope went slack and he was dropped face to face with pitch. In one swift motion, Pitch grabbed both of Jack's hands and pulled them down and together. Before he could react Pitch's mouth was on his. Yet again, even though the situation warranted it, the kiss wasn't rough or hurried. His body went unintentionally boneless as he felt the phantom heat take hold. Somehow Pitch had managed to take him by surprise and elicit another reaction he didn't expect in himself. His head started to swim, kissing upside down was a dizzying experience and he didn't think he could last much longer. The kiss deepened and Jack chose that moment to exhale a breath of frozen air. Pitch took a step back, breathing out the icy breath.

"Well played" he said a little hoarsely.

Jack felt himself being lowered slowly to the ground. When his length rested against the earthen floor the shadow released him. His body felt strangely heavy.

"Did you like my move?" he asked pitch, turning his head slightly. The other immortal was leaning against the wall with a pensive expression.

"I'm just surprised you didn't pull that yesterday".

"Hadn't thought of doing it then".

"It may be problematic in the future" Pitch said, looking at him sideways.

"I might not've felt the need if I was right side up".

"So, you're saying the problem was with your arrangement rather than the kiss itself?"

"...Maybe...have you thought on what I said yesterday?"

"Which part exactly?"

"Trying to change".

"Jack, I already told you, this is what I am. I can sense fear and create nightmares, that is all...What kind of being would you be if you only knew the terrors of every living creature nearby? Why, I could even sense your fear earlier, fear of your own memories".

Jack was uncharacteristically silent for a moment. "Do you sense it now?"

Pitch frowned slightly "Faintly".

"Was it there before you brought it up?"

"I don't believe so".

"Think about it, you felt my unease and distracted me from it, what if you did that with other's fears?"

"You're saying I should rope people into my cave and Kiss them at random?" Pitch was grinning widely.

"No, smart ass. I'm saying you can use your ability in order to help others get past their fears or at least distract from them. Most people won't admit what their afraid of, but you automatically know and can understand on a level different from anyone else".

Pitch seemed to be considering his words, he had started pacing the perimeter of his prison. "Even if such a thing were possible, have you seen me lately?" He spread his arms wide as if to prove a point. "Children are afraid at the sight of me...if they can see me at all".

Jack sat up "That's only true because of the reputation you've made. You could start over, become something else in the eyes of others".

"Even if I chose to act in such a way I can't escape this place".

"If you could harden your conviction and truly change, I think you might find the strength to crawl up out of this hole. Beings such as we, after all, gain power when others believe in us...Make me believe in you, Pitch".

Pitch was looking at him with a somewhat mystified expression. "What a curious creature you are, Jack. Always looking and acting the part of a young trickster but sometimes speaking in the voice of a wise old man".

Jack smiled "Despite my excellent physique, I am over three hundred years old".

"I am well aware, while that may be old in some eyes, you are still young compared to myself".

"How old are you then?"

Pitch drew himself up and folded his arms "Old enough".

Jack had to laugh at that. When the echoes of his laughter died, his face took on a more serious expression. "So?"

In a moment of silence the wind could be heard whistling above as it blew snow and ice over the underground room. "Fine...I will try. Only, however, if you see it through".

"I will".

Pitch suddenly smiled slyly. "Why don't we seal this...contract?"

"How do you plan on that? It's not like we have any paper"

"That isn't what I meant" Pitch was slowly walking toward him, his expression intense.

Jack was on his feet, sensing a change in the atmosphere. Pitch's face made his intentions perfectly clear. This time Jack didn't back away, he still didn't know what this thing was, just that it was something that made him feel nervous and dizzy and many other things he hadn't felt for a long time...or at all. Before he could mentally work himself up any further, Pitch stopped, almost toe to toe with him. Jack realized in that moment that Pitch was almost a head taller than himself. There was a long pause as they looked at one another without touching. Jack broke the connection by looking down, unable to take the silent tension between them.

"Don't look away now, not after all those pretty words" Pitch said.

He slid a single finger under Jack's chin and tilted the younger immortal's face up. This forced Jack to meet Pitch's eyes again and he felt caught in the gaze, unable to move or utter a word. Pitch smiled a smile that said he had Jack exactly where he wanted him. So slowly, he leaned in, as if to give Jack a chance to run...or to prolong that exquisite moment just before the kiss. A gentle sort of torture. Pitch released his chin and Jack closed his eyes just as their lips were about to meet, but the kiss never came.

Instead, Pitch swooped in and bit the curve of Jack's shoulder. Despite his determination not to react, Jack's eyes flew open and he sucked in a surprised breath. Pitch responded with that seductively soft laughter and pressed a kiss to the spot. Then another higher up, and another, slowly, until Pitch lightly kissed the corner of his mouth. Jack found he could scarcely breathe.

Pitch crushed their mouths together with less gentleness and more urgency, seeming impatient with his own game. There was that same slightly sweet taste bordering on something richer and darker. An arm slid around Jack's back and pulled him closer, and a long fingered hand rested between his shoulder blades. He felt his body bow back slightly as the taller immortal leaned in. Jack grabbed Pitch's upper arm and dug his nails in slightly, trying to hold onto something in this inescapable vortex. Under the silk like shadow clothing he could feel lean muscle. Something akin to a growl came deep from within Pitch's throat in response and his free hand slid up Jack's hoodie to glide over the icy skin. Jack shuddered, goose bumps rose on his arms. They had nothing to do with the cold. Pitch pushed his tongue against Jack's almost teasingly, even though Pitch would have felt cold to a human, he was still a little less frigid than Jack. Just as the night isn't always cool.

"hhmmm" an unintended sound escaped Jack, muffled by their connection. Then, when the sensations became almost too much and he felt he could no longer go without air, they simultaneously apart.

After something so mortifying, Jack ducked his head and might have pulled away if Pitch's hold hadn't been so tight.

"You are NOT getting away, not after that" Pitch leaned down and placed his cheek against Jack's, so his mouth was right next to Jack's ear. His hand crept further up the blue hoodie and came to rest just below the boy's left collar bone. "Your heart betrays you, it's about to beat out of your chest" Pitch whispered to him.

Jack tipped his head forward and rested it against Pitch's chest. In an almost imperceptible and slightly breathless voice he said "My heart may have betrayed me...but hearts can't lie".


	3. It's Nothing Serious

When he had uttered those words, his defenses had come down, if only a little. Images flooded Jack's mind. They came too fast and his skull throbbed sickeningly. His knees gave out and he collapsed to the floor, hands clamped on either side of his head.

Distantly, he could hear Pitch calling his name. The scene of the man in the woods with a twisted leg bloomed behind his eyelids again. He somehow knew this memory was one of the most painful, yet he couldn't help but wonder what had taken place. At this thought, he was unavoidably pulled into the scene. Inside the memory he couldn't move, a frozen spectator inside his own head.

"Jack, it's almost dark and my leg is broken...go on ahead and get help, I'll be alright".

"No! I'm not going to leave you here dad".

That's my dad! Jack thought. The man had brown hair and eyes...Just like Jack before he'd been changed. He held a terrible longing to speak to the memory father, but it wasn't real he was forced to remind himself. The memory-Jack, who looked to be around twelve, tried to pull his father up, only to have him collapse again.

"Son, it's alright. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back. Go". The memory-Jack stood and began backing away. "I'll only be gone a little while!"

Jack was forced to follow his memory self, unable to remain behind. It was like being a balloon on a string. With his past self, he turned one last time to see his father waving and smiling in the distance despite the injury. His younger self ran through the tangled wood for at least half an hour until they reached the edge of a village.

Jack knew the cottage right away. The door was locked. Young Jack banged until it was opened by...his mother. As with his father, Jack simply wanted to look at her, to speak with her...but he was unable.

"What's wrong Jack, where's your father?" she asked.

He had to take a couple deep breaths before he could speak. "Dad hurt his leg! He's stuck in the woods...we...we have to go help him!"

She put a hand to her mouth "Go wake up your uncle, I can't leave your sister alone".

Young Jack turned and ran to a neighboring home.

"Be careful Jack! Bring him home safe!" she called after him.

His uncle flung open the door after a couple of knocks. "What's all the racket about, boy?"

"My dad, he's hurt and stuck out in the woods!"

"You left him out there!?"

Before Jack could reply, his uncle had disappeared back inside. He came out moments later wearing a coat and pulling boots on. "Lead the way".

Darkness had fallen, but a half moon lit the frozen ground. Jack watched his past self struggle to keep a pace faster than a walk. It must have been below freezing with the sun behind the horizon. The real Jack had a creeping sensation of dread, it was far too cold for a human to remain unmoving. Finally, a still figure appeared ahead.

"Dad!" little Jack called, beginning to run again.

He was quickly surpassed by his uncle."Nooo!" the older man cried, gathering the lifeless body into his arms.

Jack stared with his younger self at the colorless face. A red patch of snow marked the place his father's leg had rested. The injury had been far worse than his dad had let on. Bone poked through skin. Jack watched tears pool in the eyes of his memory-self. He couldn't react as an invisible witness. Suddenly, his uncle looked up, anger written all over his tear stained face. The body slid from his lap as he stood.

"My brother...This is your fault."

Young Jack started to back away "N-no I tried-"

"You shouldn't have left him alone out here!" his uncle yelled. He raised his hand.

Little Jack was too afraid to move. As his past self flew back from the blow his real self flew back to the present.

Jack's own pale and trembling hands swam into his vision. Slowly, he became aware of pressure on his shoulders, someone was shaking him somewhat roughly.

"Did you see?" Jack's voice was hardly above a whisper. The shaking stopped.

"...Some of it. I'm sorry, Jack".

"What for?"

"For glimpsing something so private...and for your loss...for your pain".

"It was so long ago...it shouldn't...shouldn't affect me this much" even to himself, his voice sounded too contained. Somehow, he knew that if even a single sob escaped he wouldn't be able to stop.

"It doesn't matter how long ago it happened, you just relived it and some things never fade away". Pitch went to his knees too, wrapping his arms around Jack's shoulders.

Jack stiffened for a moment, surprised by the tenderness of the gesture. In silence, he clenched his teeth and forced the grief back down. Even though he was starting to trust Pitch, he wasn't ready to let down all of his defenses. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd cried, had it even happened since he'd become immortal? How could he cry three hundred years' worth of tears in front of someone who was just becoming something more than an enemy or friend...what were they becoming? Jack pulled a steadying breath deep into his lungs. "I'm alright now".

"Jack...I've spent years and years immersed in my own misery...you shouldn't suppress how you feel, it won't lead to good things".

Jack laughed quietly "When you say things like that...you almost sound like one of the good guys".

Pitch laughed too. "Even if I were to become 'one of the good guys' as you say...I'll never really be...cheerful and my sense of humor is a bit..."

"Dark and sarcastic?"

"That's one way to put it".

"Pitch...I'm not asking you to change who you fundamentally are, just your behavior...And...I kind of like your sense of humor".

"You do, do you? Most don't find it appealing" there was slight humor behind his words.

"Children aren't very good at understanding cynicism...and it's not as if I don't have my own sarcastic streak, you just have to have a different attitude around them".

"Nice changing the subject, by the way".

"Pitch..." Jack folded his arms and seemed to grow a little smaller.

"Jack" Pitch was looking at him expectantly.

"I-I just can't talk about it yet...I spent so many years longing to know who I was and now that it's all coming back I'm not sure I really do want to know...it's very confusing".

"It is alright to take your time. Just don't forget, no matter how painful, you are going to have to face these memories. What if what happened today happens while you're in the air?"

"I already know that won't happen".

"How, how do you know you won't seriously hurt yourself?"

Jack was shocked for a moment, was Pitch worried about him? "I..I don't really..." Pulling away, he backed up a few steps. He couldn't admit to Pitch what had triggered the burst of memories.

"I just know."

Pitch stepped toward him. Jack, who was still somewhat disoriented, took an unsteady step back and stumbled over an uneven spot. He could feel himself falling backward. Almost in slow motion he saw Pitch's hand shoot out and a length of shadow shot out lightening quick. It spiraled around Jack's body and halted his fall inches from the hard ground. He was too surprised for a long moment to say anything. Slowly, his body was turned vertically.

"THAT was a foolish thing to do...what could disturb Jack Frost enough to cause clumsiness?"

The shadow still bound Jack and he was unable to move.

"That memory left me a little...unbalanced".

Pitch stepped even nearer, looking closely at Jack. "That's not all, is it?"

"It is".

He couldn't tell Pitch the reason for his visit to memory lane. Couldn't tell the shadow king how he had managed to pull down Jack's defenses and make him feel things he had never felt before, how he didn't want to admit that Pitch's wicked streak unnerved him and if Pitch chose to revert to his villainous self after Jack had chosen to place all of his trust...it would break a part of him that he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to repair...He started to struggle

"Hey...maybe I should go".

The shadow tightened almost imperceptibly. "For someone several hundred years old, you're not a very convincing liar, Jack...and listen to the wind howl, why would you want to leave?"

"I don't know, maybe it's the atmosphere...it's not so welcoming at the moment". He said sarcastically while pointedly looking down.

Pitch circled around behind Jack "I'll release you, but I will find what you are hiding...eventually". Pitch's voice was barely above a whisper and his breath tickled the back of Jack's neck.

Jack fought the urge to shiver. He wasn't afraid of Pitch...wary maybe, of Pitch...but also of his own attraction to the other immortal. Suddenly, he was released. Jack lurched forward, barely avoiding another fall. "You jerk, you did that on purpose didn't you?" He spun around to glare at Pitch only to find that he'd disappeared again. "Would you stop doing that!?"

"Have I made you angrier? I thought you wanted to be released...or would you rather be like..." Pitch suddenly materialized in front of Jack grabbed the front of his hoodie and hooked one of his feet behind Jack's causing him to fall flat on the ground with Pitch on top of him. "...This?"

Jack glared at him "You thought this would persuade me to stay?" He reached back and pulled his hood over his face.

Pitch laughed quietly "Hiding your face will not stop me from kissing you...because I am going to kiss you, I'm going to kiss you until you can't move...and it feels as if all of your bones have dissolved". Pitch said, trailing a long finger over Jack's collar bone

Jack fought a shudder and pulled the hood down further, trying to hide an uncharacteristic blush. He placed a hand on Pitch's chest with the intention of shoving him off. Yet... he couldn't quite find the will to do so and he knew there was no escaping unless he decided to fight the other immortal. Pitch's knees rested on either side of his hips and he still held the front of Jack's shirt...there wasn't room for struggle and as with every other time Pitch had ensnared him, some part of him wanted to see what would happen...desired it.

Almost gently, Pitch wrapped a hand around Jack's wrist and pulled his hand away from its grip on the deep blue hood. Slowly, he pushed it up to expose Jack's lower face. Jack felt his breath come a little faster...his eyes were still covered, he couldn't see anything. The hand left his face and traced over the frost patterns lacing the fabric on his chest. All the way down to the hem where it slipped underneath. Smooth fingers outlined Jack's ribs one at a time. His toes curled as Pitch brushed his hardened nipples. He sucked in a breath, he could also hear Pitch's breathing speed up. Jack let out a soft moan as Pitch stroked his chest mercilessly and then clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Don't" Pitch said in a seductive whisper.

The hand slid down over Jack's stomach and reached up to push his palm aside. The kiss was cold and hot all at once. Rather than pushing him away, Jack found himself clinging to Pitch and his hood fell back as he leaned up into the kiss. Pitch's tongue slid into Jack's mouth, teasing and pulling him deeper. It wasn't a tentative kiss, yet jack wanted to feel more, desired something bordering on pain. Pitch wanted him to admit what was bothering him, but all he wanted to do was forget. The wind had stopped above and thick white snowflakes drifted down through the opening, falling around Jack and Pitch as they clung together near the pool of grey light.


	4. I'll Burn Your Heart Away

"Jaaaack!" a young voice called from somewhere above.

The sound surprised Jack, he broke the kiss, inhaling deeply while tilting his head back to look up. "It stopped blizzarding!? How long have we...I need to leave".

"Just ignore them".

"I can't, what if they discover this place? Find us..."

"Us?" Pitch seemed consider the word, not unhappily. "What does it matter, are you ashamed of our time together?"

"No, but they're not experiences children should know about. I don't particularly enjoy lying and that's what I'll have to do if they spot me leaving...Now, Let me go before they get here, I have to stop them from finding the entrance". Jack said, one brow raised in chagrin.

"Ooooorrr, you could tell them a part of the truth, that you are assisting me in my reformation" Pitch smiled a wicked smile, fingers slipping though Jack's in a caress...an entreaty to stay.

The voice came again along with several others, they were coming closer.

"No, I have to go...don't forget our deal, you gain my trust, then we make them aware of your existence".

"So, you're saying you don't trust me". Pitch didn't seem particularly bothered by the fact.

"Not quite, but I can see that you're changing".

"I still don't have enough power to leave this place, you're not certain of me and the young ones up there don't even know of my existence, so I don't think you have to worry about any interference...I will let you go and wait for you to come back even though I may want your trust, don't betray mine" a hint of frustration colored Pitch's voice now.

"I have no intention of doing so...I'll be back".

"I'll be here" he said, releasing his hold on Jack, almost regretfully, and melting back into the shadows.

Jack got to his feet, feeling the sudden absence more acutely then he would have thought. A little befuddled, he crouched and sprang to the surface. The sky was still deep grey, fluffy flakes building the drifts higher. He could see little figures off in the distance. Jack scooped up his fallen staff, feeling more complete with it in his hand. Walking quickly he approached them.

"Hey guys! I'm here!" Jack flew to meet them before they reached the clearing.

"Jack! Did you make the blizzard?" One of them wanted to know.

He smiled. "No, not this time...but you guys still got out of school today, huh?'

"We did! Why didn't you come into town?"

"I was waiting out the storm...I knew you would all have to stay indoors most of the day".

"Yeah, our moms wouldn't let us go outside until it stopped...but now there's lots of fresh snow! Would you help us build some snow men?"

"Sure! Let's roll some balls". Jack was relieved that none of the children asked exactly where he'd been during the blizzard. The snow was perfect and stuck together with little effort. The kids ran around, throwing snow balls and making angels. Usually Jack joined in these activities, but today he found himself distracted. He ran a hand over his stomach, as it had been the last time he had left a Pitch's lair, the phantom tingle of the other immortal's touch remained, unforgettable, confusing. A snow ball smacked him in the back.

"Look! I got him!" one of the kids squealed.

It was a rare occurrence indeed. Jack snapped out of his day dream to find himself drawing a frown on one of the snowman's faces. Shaking his head, he turned "You're not getting away with that, here I come!" Chasing after them, he lobbed snow balls, but his heart wasn't really in it.

Hours later he walked the children back to the edge of town, all of them had red cheeks and wet clothes. The sky had turned a dark purple and what light remained was quickly fading to black.

"See you guys later!"

"Bye!" they called.

"Hey, I might not see you guys for a couple of days, got some things to do!" Jack called to them.

"Awww!"

Jack smiled slightly, the sound of disappointment echoed behind him as he flew away, avoiding further question for the moment. Despite his many years, he still loved to watch the sunset. Everything on the ground was a bright white and sparkled in the dying beams. He floated up to drift below the cloud bank. The snow had almost stopped and sparse flurries drifted down. For a moment he put all of his thoughts away and gazed at the fading golden light. Too soon, the last of it disappeared behind the horizon. The residual glow left a faint illumination in bruise-like colors. Jack knew he could follow the light to another place on the globe, leave the night behind, but in the growing blackness Pitch Black waited. He had sensed Pitch's impatience before his hasty exit earlier that day. There was only so much progress they could make confined to the underground room. Progress in Pitch gaining some of his power back and other things...He placed a hand on his cheek, the memory of the night his father had died, the night his uncle had hit him hard enough to cause a black out, was too fresh, he rubbed the spot hard.

Lightly his feet touched the frozen ground. Rather than sink into the snow he walked on top of it, leaving barely a trace behind. Even though flying was his preferred and quickest means of travel, tonight he felt like walking. Lingering clouds blocked the moon and stars. The last of the light was quickly disappearing. As he neared the clearing, he could hear voices off in the distance, some souls had decided to brave the cold in the nearby campground. Too soon he was there again. Night had fully fallen and he couldn't quite see the cave's entrance.

"Pitch?" You there?" he said somewhat hesitantly.

"Where else would I be?" came the sarcastic reply

Jack stepped toward Pitch's voice, but still couldn't find the opening. "Hmm, I don't know, terrorizing the town's people".

"A tempting suggestion to be sure, but it just so happens that I'm stuck down here and my chance of freedom departed abruptly earlier today".

"C'mon, I'm sure he had his reasons and is all you care about getting out?" He stuck a foot out as if testing unknown waters. It didn't connect with the ground and sank through the air, he'd found it.

"It certainly isn't the only thing, there are lots of things I would like to do" Pitch said in such a suggestive manner that Jack felt his cold heart skip a beat.

Ignoring the last comment and crouching beside the hole he said "What are you going to do if you get out?"

"For so long I've been concerned with the fears and affairs of mortals, I would like to...travel" Pitch was a little quieter when he said this, as if sharing a secret.

"That's not so strange, I've been all over the world, you wouldn't believe some of the places that exist out there...I've been inside rooms made entirely of ice, filled with miniature waterfalls and the glow of the aurora borealis overhead...Just don't forget...the belief of those 'mortals' is what gives us our power".

"I could never forget such a thing, it's the weakness of beings such as our selves. The need for their belief in order to live more than a partial existence and the longing for it, the desire to be known".

"That isn't untrue...but the rewards of being a guardian far outweigh any negatives. Children look to us and we protect them, guide them. It isn't a relationship very different from that of a family. If not for them we'd have died long ago. It's not about weaknesses, but friendship and loyalty. We need each other, but not in the way you think".

"...I do see that, understand it even, but I'm not there yet myself. I am unsure if I ever will be".

"I think you will, once you make a connection with a child, you'll understand".

"We are now back at the start of the conversation, I have no hope of doing such a thing down here".

Jack slid his legs inside the opening and dropped down, he'd thought it was dark up above, but underground he was absolutely blind. "I was thinking about it...if I take you out of here and you stab me in the back, you'll loose my belief and end up back where you started".

"What a vote of confidence, are you saying you actually trust me?" Pitch's voice was soft.

"A little bit...you haven't hurt me, you've let me come and go, I think that deserves something". Somewhere above, music began to play. It was a melancholy instrumental.

Pitch's voice came again, a little farther away "Is there someone up there?"

"Just some campers, it seems they have a sound system".

"A sound system...?"

Jack snorted "You haven't really kept up with the rise of technology have you?"

"I had other things on my mind".

"I know...Now that you're finished making plans to terrify the human race, it might be a good idea to learn about the modern era...it's kind of amazing".

Jack breathed in a quick breath when he felt a hand slide over his waist to the small of his back where it came to a stop. He didn't move, unsure of what Pitch was doing and unable to see. Fingers twined through one of his hands.

"Put your other hand on my shoulder".

Jack, curious as to what they were doing, slid his free hand up Pitch's arm to rest on his shoulder.

"Many things change over the years, but a lovely song is still just that, no matter the delivery...and with music comes the opportunity to...dance". And with that they began to turn and spin through the dark.

"Hey...I don't really know how to do this". Jack said a little breathlessly as he was pulled along.

"I do and I'm leading, just follow".

After a few minutes, Jack adjusted to the motion and even started to enjoy it. He couldn't help but laugh a little, he'd been worried about coming back, but a carefree feeling was taking hold.

"See?" there was a grin in Pitch's voice.

"Starting to" he didn't really want to stop yet.

Pitch's laugh was low as he pulled Jack closer and continued to turn.

Suddenly, there was a glimmer of star light overhead, shining through a crack between clouds...they had risen up out of the cave.


	5. Nothing That You Could Do

"You believe". Pitch leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Jack's mouth as their feet touched the ground.

Jack pulled back to look at Pitch, really look at him. He still had his arms around Jack and wore a slightly crooked smile, his golden eyes glinted in the cool starlight. After a moment of silence Pitch's smile started to fade.

"Jack...?"

Jack ducked his head "Nothing".

Pitch smiled again, but this time it was tinged with sarcasm. "Waiting for me to make my escape?"

"Maybe..."

"Why would I do that when I have what I want right here?"

Jack looked up in surprise..."What?"

"Don't be daft, I wasn't just putting on a show down there..." Pitch leaned closer so that his lips were next to Jack's ear and whispered "You have intrigued me since first I saw you...and I thought to myself 'at least I can meet him in battle' I won't deny the thrill I felt when our powers met and made something...beautiful".

Heart hammering Jack said "You didn't hate me?"

"I never hated you...I hated that you chose to join the guardians rather than myself...even though I broke your staff, fought you, I never could have killed you...I thought you hated me".

"I don't think I hated you either...but I did disagreed with you, felt anger towards you...not hate...the expression on your face when I refused to join you...'

"I felt scorned, Jack. I. Wanted. You.". He kissed the crook of Jack's neck.

It was such a simple statement, yet it held so much meaning "I don't really know how to answer that..." Jack said, trying to keep his voice even.

"Then show me". He pulled back a little, searching Jack's face, waiting.

"What if I have another attack...more memories like the one from the other day...?" Jack's eyes seemed to look into the distance.

Pitch could feel his apprehension. "I'll be right here whether you want to remember them...or not".

Jack stood on his toes and grabbed Pitch's collar. He pulled the other immortal down and kissed him with an air of desperation. Into the kiss he poured his loneliness, his aggression...his tentative new feelings. They're lips pressed together with bruising force and Pitch's arms were around him. He dug his nails into the lean shadow clad shoulders as long fingered hands tangled in his silver-white hair. Jack slowly traced each bone in Pitch's spine. The scent and taste that was solely Pitch flooded his senses and it was, he realized, night itself. It was sunless air, darker and richer than its daytime counterpart. Like mossy earth and storms.

Jack broke the kiss, leaning back. "...Did that tell you what you wanted to know?"

Pitch's lips curved up "I think it helped...but maybe we should do it again, just to be sure".

Jack leaned in again, smiling slightly. Before they could begin, a piercing pain shot through his brain and he was halfway to his knees, both hands clamped on either side of his head. Quick flashes of memory passed through his mind, each one like the stab of a knife. The tearful face of his mother, his sister's confused expression, the livid look his uncle wore as he hit Jack...or kicked him or shoved him into a wall...a hiss escaped from between his clenched teeth. Slowly, so slowly, he shoved them all back down deep where he couldn't see them or feel them. Jack became aware of Pitch's arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, his body shook. He blinked back unshed tears for the second time, still refusing to sob his pain out in front of Pitch. Despite the fact that he hadn't traveled into his memories, the puzzle of his past life was becoming clearer and it wasn't a pretty picture.

"Jack?"

"I'm...I'm ok" Jack closed his eyes, leaning into the other immortal, enjoying the embrace for a moment. "You smell like night time" he told Pitch.

The answering laugh was soft and short "I am night time, in a sense...but that's beside the point. It happened again Jack..."

"I know, I know" he disconnected from Pitch and collapsed backward into a snow drift. Burying his hands in the fresh powder. "I think...my uncle wasn't a very nice person and more than ever...I don't want to see these memories".

Pitch leaned back on his hands, head tilted slightly. "Wouldn't it be better to get it over with, to not dread these memories, but see them and move on?"

"That might be true...but...but these memories are awful...I don't know if I'd be able to get past them..."

"Jack...I might not have been strong enough to overcome my demons, but you are...you became a different sort of immortal from myself isn't that proof enough? You have eternity to get past your mortal life. It wasn't all bad was it, you still have your precious memories of your sister".

"Even if that were true...I can't just choose to see them...it takes certain circumstances".

"What would those be?"

"...I don't really know". Jack rolled sideways to face away from Pitch.

The older immortal rolled Jack onto his back again and placed a leg on either side of his waist, he leaned forward on his knees and placed his hands in the snow just above Jack's shoulders. They were hardly touching...but there was no escaping.

"Now, what triggers these memories? I have an idea, but I want to hear it from you".

Jack squirmed a little, but Pitch's limbs trapped him securely against the snow. "I can't say".

"It's not that you can't say it's that you won't say".

Jack silently stared at Pitch for a moment. Weighing his options.

"I'll catch you" Pitch said, lips pressed into a tight line.

"I didn't try to go anywhere".

"That might be, but you were thinking about it".

Jack sighed and untensed his muscles. Sometimes Pitch was a little too intuitive.

"It happens when...I let my guard down".

"I see, and?"

"...When I let my guard down because of you."

"Was that so difficult?"

Jack closed his eyes "Was it difficult?...I was alone for so many years and suddenly I'm admitting...things".

"Oh no! Things! Really, Jack...shouldn't this be a good? Getting your memories back, being together".

"I didn't say it was a bad, just..."

"Hard, confusing...frightening? I know your fears Jack, trying to hide them is fool hardy".

"Fine! Yes, I'm afraid of my memories. I think my uncle may have beat the crap out of me on a regular basis...then there's us, Pitch...I have begun to trust you, do trust you...but I can't help but wonder if someone can really change so much in such a short span of days... and... I'm afraid of losing you to your dark side".

Pitch took a deep breath and ran one hand over his face. "You listen to me, Jack Frost. I'm the one who needs you. If you had been there I don't think I would have become the creature that I did...and as I said before; you...you were all alone too, yet you didn't become something malevolent. You've always been strong enough to hold onto your true self, why would a few memories change that?"

Jack opened his eyes "...I think you're right".

"Of course I'm right".

"Hey, don't let your ego swell too much, you'll get a big head".

"My ego is already decidedly massive, it won't be an issue".

Jack laughed so hard that it almost brought tears to his eyes and when he thought about crying...he suddenly found himself choking back a dry sob.

"Jack!?"

"I'm fine...could you...come a little closer?"

Pitch smiled a little smile and leaned down to wrap his arms around Jack again.

"If you keep saying things like that I might cry a couple hundred years' worth of tears".

"I'm sorry the size of my ego upsets you, but it can't be helped".

"No...Before that".

"...I need you"


	6. Starlight

Those words…Jack felt he had waited centuries to hear someone say them. "Kiss me".

"This time the only thing inside your head will be me" Pitch's golden eyes seemed to glow softly as they held Jack's and he felt naked under the piercing gaze as if the unnaturally colored irises could peer into his very soul.

Closing his eyes, Jack felt the lingering tears slide down his cheeks. Pitch placed has hands on either side of Jack's face, gently wiping the crystallizing droplets away. With a fierce tenderness Pitch pressed his lips to Jack's. A tingling heat spread through the younger immortal, quickly growing into an intense ache. Pitch pressed closer until little more than cloth and shadow existed between them. The snow sunk underneath their bodies like a freezing cushion. Instinctively, Jack wrapped his arms around the older immortal, fingers searching for purchase inside the icy hot vortex he was being sucked into. Pitch dominated his every sense, he breathed in night, felt shadows slide silkily underneath his hands and tasted the sweetness of deep darkness. With a moan, his lips parted and Pitch's tongue slid inside and began a much more intimate dance than the one they had shared moments before. Jack's head swam and his heart beat wildly inside his throat. He felt smooth fingers glide across his cheek and down the worn fabric of his hoodie to slide underneath. His back arched as Pitch outlined every contour of his chest, leaving a burning trail across his flesh. Jack shuddered, his nerve endings alight. Shaking, his hands skimmed over lean arms to pause at the exposed triangle of silver skin. Tentatively, he slipped his fingertips under the shadow clothes. Pitch sighed against Jack's mouth and slid his hand into the silver hair, tugging lightly. Jack tilted his chin to deepen the kiss and slid his hands further down Pitch's chest feeling the hardness of bone and muscle, the smoothness of the unbroken flesh, like satin wrapped steel. His fingers stopped over firm nipples, he paused unsure of what to do next.

Pitch pulled back, wrapping his fingers around Jack's wrists he pushed them above the younger immortal's head. Like putty, Jack lay against the snow, chest rising and falling, insides squirming. Lips curving seductively, Pitch hooked his thumbs underneath the frosted edge of Jack's hoodie. Slowly enough to make Jack wriggle, he pushed it up, fingers running over the exposed ivory chest. In one smooth movement, Pitch pulled the garment over the snowy hair and tossed it to the side. "That's a rather attractive color" Pitch said, brushing a finger across the blue tint on Jack's face. "Are you…blushing?"

"Shut up!" Jack sat up, causing their hips to roll together. A gasp escaped his lips at the unexpected contact. An intense heat rushed into his groin. "I didn't mean to…" Jack didn't know what to say, he waited for a snappy phrase to enter his mind, but it remained oddly blank and the. He was quite certain that Pitch felt the hardening of his member and as a darker blush suffused his cheeks, he realized that he could feel Pitch's too. The faint light illuminated the look of mild surprise on Pitch's face before it widened into a sexy smile just for Jack. "Uh, I-I". The words wouldn't come. He wished for his hoodie, at least he could have pulled it over his face. Instead, he pressed both hands to his features and fell back against the snow, stray flakes floated upward as he displaced them.

"Why are you hiding your face? Pitch asked, a velvety laugh escaping his lips.

"Bastard" Jack said through a crack in his fingers.

"Oh, falling to insults are we? If you think THAT was mortifying how are we going to make love? Because we will, the most exquisite, mind numbing, body aching, soul rending love making. My name will rip from your lips as I penetrate you deeply enough to confuse where I end and you begin, until you cry tears of pure bliss".

Breathing ragged, all words deserting him, Jack's hands fell away from his face as the strength drained from his limbs. His hammering heart was almost audible in the near dark and he feared that it would beat right out of his chest. Trillions of stars swam above him and Pitch's words echoed through his mind like a beguiling melody.

Pitch's hand brushed across Jack's exposed chest to rest over the place where his heart beat wildly. "Do you know why ribs are cages? It's so our hearts don't fly away…but if they could, I think yours would fly to me…You belong to me now Jack, just give up".

Jack knew somewhere inside himself that he and Pitch had always been bound by the ribbon of fate. Knew that they belonged together, the black sheep of the immortals. "Pitch…for now…all I know…is that I want to be with you…"

"Jack, I have a secret to tell you. I, the king of nightmares, am afraid, afraid of losing you…Do you trust me?"

Jack looked into the eternal golden eyes "Yes". He watched as Pitch made a circular motion in the air using the tip of his index finger. A small ball of shadow formed. Pinching it, Pitch pushed the translucent shape between his lips. Jack felt a tingle of unease creep up his spine. "Wha-What are you doing?" Pitch simply shook his head, his face begging Jack to trust him and Jack realized that he did. He had to, his heart had already decided and the pain of caring for someone in such a way yet reserving trust was too painful. Silver hands laced through his own, holding them against the frozen earth. Pitch sealed his mouth over Jack's and parted the frost spirit's lips with his own. Something soft and smooth slipped into his mouth, it was slightly sweet and tasted like night air, like Pitch. It slid to the back of his throat. Pitch didn't pull away. "Mmmm!" Jack startled to struggle, but the other immortal had him pinned to the ground. Jack knew that he could escape, but it would mean hurting Pitch and he didn't want to do that. Slowly, he relaxed. Pitch's hands squeezed Jack's lightly and he broke the kiss.

"Have some faith, swallow it".

Jack swallowed and felt the shadow slide down his throat. He coughed, arching off the snow as it moved farther inside his body. It was uncomfortable, bordering on painful. Pitch released Jack's hands and wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders, pulling him into an embrace.

"Just hold on for a minute longer" Pitch whispered.

Jack shuddered as he felt the shadow settle inside his chest. He sucked in a breath.

Suddenly, the strange sensation vanished.

"Look" Pitch said, pointing to the place on Jack's chest where his heart rested.

Jack looked down and was shocked to find a spiky black spiral there. "What is that?" Jack asked, starring at the shape.

"It's a piece of my shadow, I will always be able to find you and if you are ever hurt, I will know".

"You…gave me a piece of your power, won't that hurt you?"

Pitch smiled "No, it's still alive and inside an immortal host. Jack…There was a chance that your body would reject it, but it seems we truly are compatible…my dark and your cold".

Jack traced a fingertip over the strange design, it reminded him of the shadows he'd seen Pitch create before. "I could do the same for you…But it would hurt…"

Pitch's eyes widened "You would do that for me?"

"Yes, but-"

"I don't care about the pain".

Jack pulled his legs out from underneath Pitch, kneeling in front of the other immortal. He held his hands slightly apart in front of his chest. With a deep breath,

Jack closed his eyes. A small shape began to take form between his palms, pulled from the winter magic deep inside him. It was easy for him to manipulate the element of cold, but pulling away a piece of his actual power was difficult. A moment later, he opened his eyes. A perfect snowflake glittered between his fingertips. Holding it in one hand, he used the other to push aside the shadow clothes on the left side of Pitch's chest. "Why is it that I can move this?" Jack asked pitch curiously, indicating the thin black shadow that covered Pitch.

Pitch smiled a half smile "Because I'm allowing you to…unlike your power, most of mine resides outside of my body, inside of my shadow, and I can simply manipulate it. Try doing it again".

Jack touched the strange material again, but this time his fingers slipped off the surface, unable to gain any sort of hold. "Strange…"

"It certainly is. Sometimes I wonder, will we ever truly understand what we are…Even the few immortals in existence are much too different to be called the same kind of being. We may look human and act human at times, but in reality we are alien".

"I agree…But I don't believe it matters that we're not human as long as we don't lose our humanity".

"I lost mine a long time ago, but I think I'm starting to find it again…because of you".

"I don't think you lost it, I think you just stopped listening to it. There was a time when you could've killed me, Pitch…You can't have forgotten…When you broke my staff, I was practically powerless and you could have torn me apart, but some part of you couldn't do it".

"I already told you, I have always felt a connection to you…Even if we weren't on the same side, I couldn't destroy you".

"Exactly my point, you cared, that was your humanity".

Pitch looked a little taken aback.

Jack smiled this time "See? You don't know everything". He slipped the shadows aside to reveal a stretch of unmarked silvery chest. Lightly, he ran his fingers over the smooth skin. Pitch shivered slightly under the touch. Jack pulled his hand back.

Pitch wrapped his arms around Jack, pulling him closer. "Do it".

Jack located the spot under which Pitch's heart rested. It seemed appropriate that their marks be in the same place. Cupping the snowflake in his hand, he centered it over the spot and placed one hand over the other "This is going to sting". He pushed the flake into Pitch's flesh. Pitch's hands tightened and a slow breath hissed through his teeth. "Sorry" Jack said, wincing.

"Don't be" Pitch looked down at the white snowflake, it stood out against his skin and seemed to glow.

"It's beautiful". Pitch said, brushing his fingers across the mark.

"To a regular person that would have been something like frost bite, but it's suffuses with my magic and as you said, when we accept it, it seems that our powers are compatible….Such a strange sensation…I can feel you, yet it's not the same as actually touching".

"It's the same for me…Now we're bound even tighter. Pitch grinned in a somehow attractive self-satisfied manner.

"…You didn't plan this, did you?" Jack asked, eyeing Pitch suspiciously.

"Whatever are you talking about?" Pitch looked a little too innocent.

"Pitch".

"Perhaps I simply wanted to mark you as my own".

"So you gave me a permanent hickey?"

"What's a hickey?" Pitch didn't seem to be joking.

"…Um…well…I guess it's kind of a modern term…it's…" Jack could feel the blood rising to his face.

Pitch laughed "Is it really that embarrassing?"

"No! ...kind of…You use your mouth to…leave a sort of bruise".

"You mean a love mark?"

"…I think so".

Pitch laughed a little harder "Jack, you are too adorable".

Jack glared at him "You shouldn't call a man 'adorable' ".

"A man? You're just a boy".

Jack snorted "I'm several centuries old and you're calling me a boy?"

"While you may be old in years, you are very young in the ways of passion".

"I've seen lots of people fall in love and grow old, it's not some new concept".

"That statement alone proves your ignorance. To see and to experience are VERY different things…But don't worry, you will understand when I'm through with you". Pitch said, expression suggestive, hands gliding over the bare skin of Jack's naked chest.

"…Damn you" Jack said, helpless to Pitch's touch. Suddenly, he realized his past hadn't resurfaced to haunt him. Just as Pitch had said, Jack could think only of him and he somehow knew that when the time was right, he could face the demons in his closet, overcome them. Before he could think further on the subject, Pitch was shoving him back into the snow. Hands resting on Jack's shoulders, Pitch leaned down as if for a kiss. Jack closed his eyes, lips slightly parted, waiting. Instead, the contact came on the side of his neck. His breath hitched as Pitch sucked the sensitive spot.

"Now you have one" Pitch said, licking his lips.

Jack's hand flew to the side of his neck. "Hey! Someone could see that!"

"Well then, I guess you'll have to stay where others can't see you, with me".

"Possessive much?"

"I didn't get the feeling you minded terribly" Pitch kissed Jack's palm.

Jack turned his eyes to the starry vault above as a sigh of unbidden pleasure escaped him. Suddenly, he sat bolt upright, starring at the brilliant multicolor ribbons that snaked across the sky.

"Jack?" Pitch looked up too and gasped.

It was North's lights, the call of a guardians.


	7. Time is Running Out

Jack and Pitch starred at one another.

"Hell!" Pitch burst out, starring at the wavering colors, fingers tightening on Jack's wrist.

"Pitch!" Jack tugged his hand away. "…I have to go...Come with me?"

"I can't, Jack. Even with your belief, I don't think it's possible for me to go far from this place yet. Besides…my last parting with the guardians was downright hostile. If you tell them you've been with me, they won't hear anything else you have to say".

"But I could-"

"Jack, you've just become a guardian yourself, gained their respect. Do you really wish to throw that away? Because they will doubt you…and I can't stand the thought of taking their faith away when it's important to you".

"They trust me! If I tell them that you've changed-".

"They turned their backs on you once before and I admit, that was mostly my fault…but they should have listened to you".

"Are you talking about Easter? It's no surprise they doubted me… I was struggling to find myself and the whole situation looked pretty bad".

"Aren't such times exactly when you need the trust and support of companions most?

"They accepted me in the end".

"That's my point, they chose to trust you again when they needed your help, when they wanted something from you".

"That isn't true" Jack stood, pulling away from Pitch.

Pitch sighed "If you think so".

"I'll just have to prove you wrong…I'm leaving".

Pitch rose, his face seemed to shift between frustration and an odd sort of yearning. "If you have to".

Jack stood unspeaking for a moment "I'll come back soon".

"You had better".

With his staff in hand, Jack crouched and leapt into the air. He glanced behind, catching a last glimpse of Pitch's troubled face. A faint tug over his heart reminded him of the mark there, as if he and Pitch were connected by invisible string. The feeling faded the farther he flew, but it never disappeared. He knew if ever he needed, that he could follow it back to his dark immortal.

In that moment he realized that he'd begun to think of Pitch as _his_. But beyond that…he hadn't a clue what they were. He didn't think that Pitch would be too fond of the term 'boyfriend' and Jack wasn't sure that he liked it either. It was such a trite and easily removed title and for timeless beings it didn't seem to fit. With a shake, he brought himself back to the mystery at hand. The wind carrying him quickly grew colder as he approached the pole. He felt a horrible premonition in his gut, something had to be terribly wrong for North to call the guardians together again. Something large enough to effect all the children or even the world itself.

Jack landed feet from the workshop entrance, sending up a spray of snow as he slid to a stop. He rapped his staff once on the thick doors and they swung open to admit him. North stood just inside.

"Jack! I would say good to see you, but considering the situation... The others already gathered in the next room".

"What's going on North?"

"Let's talk about it with the others, yes?"

Jack was already scheming on how to reveal Pitch's change in loyalty without disclosing the exact nature of their intimate relationship.

"It's Jack!" Tooth caught him in a quick hug, swinging them around with her momentum. "How are you? Teeth Still snowy and white? Let me see!"

"Good to see you too! Always the teeth, huh?" He rolled his eyes and grinned at her, revealing a perfect set.

"Ooohhhhh, they're so pretty! You still have the brightest whites I've ever seen".

"Thank you…I think".

Sandy waved from beside Bunny.

"Hey Sandy" he gave the short, glittering man a small wave in return. "And my favorite kangaroo" Jack said, aiming a mischievous smile at Bunny.

Bunny punched him gently on the arm "You blighter. How've you been, causing lots of runny noses?"

"Naw, but I did send a little snow storm Groundhog's way last week, just to be sure spring doesn't come _too _early.

"I'd wager he wasn't too pleased, but seeing as the lazy bugger's only job is to appear once a year...Just don't clown around with _my _holiday".

Jack laughed "Sure, sure, as long as it's the groundhog and not you".

"No fighting! We have situation to discuss" North said, munching on a cookie. "Sandy, show them".

Sandy opened a hand, letting several specs of black sand fall to the floor. Jack felt a chill run through his insides.

"Is that what I think it is?" Bunny asked, eyes widening and nose twitching faster.

"But Pitch…he's gone…isn't he?" Tooth asked, flitting nervously up and down.

North nodded "Yes, but he started something…an infection".

"…What kind of infection?" Jack asked, his stomach churning.

"An infection of dreams".

"Didn't we fix that?" Jack asked, sticking his hands inside the pocket of his hoodie to hide the slight shaking.

"We did for the children, but not for the adults".

Tooth landed, wings slowing "How is that? Dreams are dreams, shouldn't the black sand have been wiped out?"

"According to sandy, a couple of grains must have made their way into the dreams of a parent and begun to multiply. The children are protected by their belief, but grownups don't believe in us and their dreams are of an entirely different type. The nightmares of children are mild in comparison".

"Like some sort of disease" Bunny said, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes, and now it's spreading quickly. Crime rates are rising, who knows how long it will be until every adult mind is affected…We may be the guardians of children, but so are parents all over the world and by protecting them we protect the children".

Trying to keep his voice even, Jack asked; "How has the black sand been spreading? Pitch was doing it before, so why?" He didn't want to doubt Pitch and there was the fact that he'd had been with Jack lately. The likelihood of Pitch having the time or power to continue his quest of turning every sweet dream into a horror story seemed unlikely.

"Fearlings" North said, his features set and grim.

"A what?" Jack asked.

Bunny and Tooth wore twin expressions of horror.

"Fearlings…Creatures of darkness. Once there's one, hundred more will follow. The most ancient of enemies. Man in moon told me long time ago, they were his first foes. Moving from planet to planet, feeding on hatred, spreading terror. Eventually they came here and Manny chose us to fight them…you are too young to know of this, Jack".

"…What happened?" Jack asked, leaning against a nearby wall for support.

"We defeated them…Or so we thought. In some deep dark corner of the world, one or two must have hidden away, waiting for the day when enough ill will existed to feed them. Once they became strong enough, they began to multiply, splitting into who knows how many more. The sand was only the beginning, they're spreading terror like an epidemic" North explained, rubbing the pommel of his sword, remembering the long ago war.

"How did this happen without a single one of us noticing?" Tooth said, wringing her hands as her wings beat fast enough to stir the air around them.

"This happened in number of days and I'm here at Pole, Tooth at her palace and Bunny in his warren. They've been avoiding sandy, he discovered their existence because they grew too large in numbers to hide. But Jack…I'm surprised you didn't notice their existence…" North turned to look at him questioningly. So did Tooth, Sandy and Bunny.

"I've been busy" Jack said defensively. He didn't think now was the time to mention Pitch…blame would instantly fall on him.

"Doing what?" Bunny asked, one furry brow raised.

"Just contemplating all the recent changes…I wanted to do a little thinking on my own".

"Alright, not trying to interrogate you" North said, waving his giant palm.

Jack untensed "So, how do we fight these things?"

"I don't know, Jack. Last time we had weapons from Manny himself, but only one remains. According to Sandy, their numbers have gone beyond manageable. We'll have to think of something else".

They all stared at one another for a long moment.

"Maybe we have milk and cookie break?" North said, breaking the silence.

"Mate, you've been downing gingerbread men like popcorn shrimp for the past fifteen minutes" Bunny said with a gesture at the decapitated cookie in North's hand.

"I burn lots of calories running work shop" North shrugged uncaringly.

"Cut it out you two, we need to find something to fight the fearlings and fast. Especially if their numbers are growing as quickly as you say". Tooth said, hands on hips.

Jack wanted to tell them about Pitch. He really, really did. But even he had to admit that it looked pretty bad…If Pitch's continued existence were to be revealed now, he'd be instantly blamed for the outbreak. But if Pitch were willing, he could be the very weapon they needed to defeat the fearlings…Despite the fact that he'd come over from the dark side, Pitch was still the nightmare king. Jack rubbed his face in an agonized manner, torn between protecting Pitch and revealing a way to save them all. It came down to whether or not the other guardians really truly trusted Jack…or not.

"Jack, I know the situation is bad…worse than last time, but don't lose hope just yet." Tooth patted him on the shoulder.

If only it were that simple. If he didn't tell them soon, he knew they'd probably be angry simply because he'd hidden the information from them. What was right? Suddenly, he realized how much he'd been overthinking the decision. Jack had always followed his heart and listened to his instincts, why should this situation be any different. He closed his eyes and the answer came; if he wanted them to trust him and by extension, Pitch, then he'd have to trust them first. "I have something I to tell you guys…and I need you to have an open mind, I need you to trust me and I REALLY need you to listen before judging".

"What is it, Jack? Did you think of a way to stop this disaster?" North asked with a hopeful expression.

"Possibly…But this was something I intended to tell you all before I found out about the bad dreams".

"Well spit it out mate, we don't have a lot of time to muck about" Bunny said, tapping his foot impatiently".

A question mark appeared over Sandy's head, a quizzical expression on his face.

"Pitch…isn't really gone and-"

North yanked a razor sharp sword from its sheath as if he thought Pitch Black would materialize. "Why have you waited to tell this?! He must be the one behind this scheme".

"Pitch isn't gone?" Tooth was horrified, her wings stopped their movement and she dropped several inches to the floor, arms wrapped around her body as if to ward off a chill.

Bunny simply wore an enraged expression.

"Wait, WAIT! Would you all SHUT UP for a moment and let me finish?"

They all stared at him, North's mouth hung open as if he'd like to shout some more. Jack knew he'd have to get the rest out quickly. "He wants to change and help children, like we do. I think he's telling the truth and we should give him a chance". Jack rocked back on his heels, relief coursing through him...and fear.

A few seconds of silence elapsed before the tirade began.

"Jack! What are you thinking?! You can't trust a word out that monster's mouth!" Nick stormed, throwing his arms in the air.

"Well, I do" Jack said, looking at them defiantly.

"…Did he do something to you? Threaten you? Hurt you?" Tooth had his face trapped between her hands and turned it from side to side as if searching for injury. "What is that?" she pointed to the small purple circle adorning the side of his neck. Before he could push her away, she tugged the collar of his hoodie aside "WHAT IS THAT!?"

The top of the mark on his chest was visible, curled just below his left collar bone. "NO! He didn't hurt me!" Jack took a couple steps back.

"Pitch must be controlling him!" Bunnymund's ears flattened and he crouched as if to spring on Jack.

"Would you all get it into your thick skulls?! He didn't force this on me and he's my friend!" Jack didn't think it would be a good idea to tell them that he and Pitch were practically lovers, given their reactions so far. He was beginning to consider making a break for it.

"That's just what he would want us to think! He's clearly under Pitch's power" A deadly sword rose to point at Jack as North spoke to the other guardians.

Jack took another step back. Hostility emanated from the group…and it was aimed at him. "Dam it! It's me, Jack! Don't you trust me?!" his gulped, throat raw, as he held back a scream of frustration.

"We trust Jack Frost, but you're clearly not him anymore". Bunny lunged as Jack shot into the air, barely avoiding the furry grey arms and a lasso of yellow sand.

"Catch him tooth!" North shouted.

Jack shot out the front door feet first, startling Yetis and elves in his wake. He glanced behind, tooth fairy was in hot pursuit, a determined expression on her face. It wasn't as if they'd raced before, so Jack wasn't really sure who the faster flyer was. Then he had an idea. Instead of forwards, Jack began to fly straight up. Looking over his shoulder again, he could see Tooth slowing down. Ice crystals began to form on Jack's face and they weren't of his doing. While he was unaffected, Tooth certainly was. She spiraled back to earth, her wings beginning to ice over in temperatures colder than the pole itself. After seeing her land safely, Jack willed forth a small snow storm, blocking him from view and further pursuit.

He rubbed angrily at the tears trickling from his eyes. It seemed that he and Pitch had both been wrong and right. The guardians trusted Jack, but not Pitch. Trust that didn't mean a thing with them convinced that Pitch had turned Jack into his personal minion. Now it seemed likely that they'd come for him and Pitch, especially considering that they believed Pitch to be the evil master mind behind the fearlings and nightmares. He knew the first place they'd look would be where they'd last seen Pitch…Where Pitch still was. Pushing himself faster, Jack could only hope that he made it to Pitch before the rest of the Guardians. If they were lucky, North and the others would chose to search for a weapon to defeat the fearlings, buying them enough time to escape until Jack found a way to convince them that Pitch had changed.

The air became more familiar as Jack grew closer. He felt the invisible connection between himself and Pitch grow stronger. The distance becoming almost unbearable. Up ahead, he spotted the clearing. By now, it was midday and Pitch was no longer visible against the snowy earth. Exhausted, Jack tumbled through the powder in a sloppy landing and rolled straight into the gaping hole. As Pitch preferred, it was dark as deepest night underground. Jack scrunched his eyes shut anyways, prepared to smack into the hard ground below. Instead, strong arms caught him and a wavering beam of light opened above to reveal a thin silver face with worried golden eyes.

"Jack, why are you back so soon?" Pitch's brow furrowed as he looked into the ice blue eyes. His expression saddened

"…Was I right?"

Jack took a moment to catch his breath. "Yes…and no. We're in really, really deep trouble".


	8. Madness

"We have to leave, now!"

"Why, what happened…you're shaking".

"Fearlings, they think it's you and they think you're controlling me!"

Shock crossed Pitch's face "I thought the last of those beings died out hundreds of years ago". Something like fear flashed in Pitch's eyes.

Jack slid from the other immortal's arms to stand on the cave floor. "Are you…afraid?"

"Jack…these are the creatures that turned me into what I am. They created me and the man in the moon created the guardians in answer".

A shock went through Jack. "These things are that powerful?"

"Yes. I may have tried to do some fairly horrible things, even succeeded at some of them, but at least I was once human and had some sort of conscience. Humanity as you put it. Fearlings, however, are pure evil".

"Can they control you?" Jack didn't want to imagine what could happen if these things could possess Pitch and force him back into being the villain he was before.

"No, I have a will of my own and considering that we don't need to sleep…"

"Can you control them?"

Pitch considered the question for a moment "I don't really know".

"According to the other Guardians, there's too many of them to fight. But that's beside the point, we need to get out of here NOW. They know exactly where we are and they'll be here soon".

Pitch just looked at him "How do you propose we do that?"

Jack smiled despite the situation "We fly, of course".

"As I said, it's unlikely that I can go far from this place, you have the oath of the guardians to sustain you, the belief of children all over the world. No such thing exists for me".

Jack thought for a moment "Yes…Yes it does!"

Pitch frowned at him "What are you talking about, Jack?"

"We made a…contract. Remember? You should be able to leave here as long as you're with me".

"Yes, we did…We made a contract and signed it" Pitch smiled slowly, remembering the encounter. "If it was truly binding, my existence is now tied to your belief…I had thought your trust would simply allow me to leave this place for a short while, but it seems we tied ourselves more tightly than either of us knew".

"Then there's this" Jack patted the spot where Pitch's mark rested.

"Yes, like dripping wax onto a letter, our exchange must have been the final seal…It seems my existence is almost certainly bound to yours".

"…If that's true, you should be able to go anywhere as long as we're together".

Pitch took Jack's hand "Let's go".

Jack rose slowly. As last time they'd risen out of the cave, Pitch didn't seem to weigh anything. This seemed strange, Jack had felt the other immortal's weight before when Pitch had pinned him down and… Jack blushed blue.

"What are you thinking about?" Pitch asked him, smirking slightly as Jack pulled him up to the surface.

"Nothing…Just wondering why you're not heavy".

"Another mystery of our existence…That's not all you were thinking about was it?"

"Do you ever let things go?"

"Not when they interest me…You were blushing".

"So what?" They had risen to the tops of the trees.

"Where you thinking about me by chance?" Pitch's smirk became more pronounced.

"Maybe…You're the only one who manages to make me lose my composure like that".

Pitch sighed "Jack, do you even realize what you are saying when you talk like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are so oblivious sometimes. If you keep saying things like that…"

"Yes?" Jack was only half paying attention, scanning the area for any sign of the other guardians.

"You can't have forgotten the colorful description I provided you with…about all the things-"

"I remember!" Jack said, suddenly paying attention.

"As long as you understand".

Jack turned to glare at the older immortal, opening his mouth to call Pitch a choice name. The words caught in his throat. Pitch's expression silently conveyed the unforgettable words he'd just reminded Jack of. Blood rose all the way to the tips of his ears. "It isn't a good idea to discuss this while we're in midair". Jack turned, trying to refocus on where he was going.

Pitch laughed softly "Fine, but rest assured, there will be further discussion".

Jack answered by speeding up and was pleased to hear a muffled gasp from Pitch.

"Where are we going?" Pitch asked, almost yelling over the air rushing past them.

"To somewhere we can think of a plan". They flew down toward a city, tall buildings stretched toward them as they flew closer. Afternoon was turning to evening and yellow lights had already begun to flicker on in streets. They had only traveled for half an hour, but North and the others were unlikely look for them here. Jack was search for a very specific sort of building. It didn't take long for him to spot a sky scraper full of apartments. "This is it" he said as their feet touched the ground in front of the entrance.

"It's what?" Pitch asked.

"Apartments…You know, a bunch of living spaces all in one building. People rent them".

"Ah".

Jack was tempted to laugh at Pitch's lack of knowledge on the present world, but thought better of it. They walked in, unseen by the woman sitting at the front desk. He peered over her shoulder and spotted a nameless mail slot. Twenty eight. No one noticed the invisible beings enter the elevator. They stopped on the Twentieth floor. Pitch glanced back at the closing elevator doors as they stepped into a richly carpeted hall. "It's an elevator" Jack said and mimicked Pitch by smirking in an arrogant manner.

"I know" Pitch said, raising one eyebrow.

Jack snorted "Sure you do". He waltzed off before Pitch could make some sort of smart ass remark. They stopped in front of door twenty eight. "Check this out" Jack pressed his finger to the key hole, sending a spike of ice inside to fill the empty spaces inside the mechanism. He turned the digit and the lock made a soft click. "Let's go in, we're lucky there aren't many children in a building this fancy".

"Lucky indeed…That's an interesting trick by the way, break into homes often?" Pitch teased.

"Sometimes I get bored, ok? It's not as if I steal things".

Pitch laughed and pushed the door closed behind them. It seemed that this was a furnished space. It lacked any evidence of human habitation, no personal belongings of any sort adorned the room. The place was definitely high end, thick carpets, walls in pale colors with sleek fixtures. Jack eyed the soft, chocolate colored leather couch, it was placed before a wall of glass looking out over the city. "Looks like there's a balcony if we need to make a quick getaway".

Jack turned from the view, wondering why Pitch had become so quiet. The other immortal stood behind the couch. Desire was written across Pitch's face. It stopped Jack in his tracks. He stood, frozen, as Pitch walked toward him. When Pitch looked at him in such a manner, Jack always seemed to lose all motor function, just the way Pitch liked it.

The older immortal placed his hands on Jack's shoulders and pushed him against the wall of glass. Pitch ran his hands down the blue hoodie's sleeves to lace his fingers through Jack's. He pressed their entwined limbs to the wall sized window.

"Pitch…Should we really be doing this now...Fearlings…Guardians". He forced the words out.

Pitch leaned his cheek against Jack's, the way his did right before he whispered something to unravel any doubt Jack had about what they were doing. "The world is being overrun by fearlings and the guardians are tracking us as we speak, who knows if and when we will get a chance to be together again…Jack, I want you in every way possible…I love you".

Jack was shocked. His concerns were blasted away by three little words. He could think only of Pitch, the way it felt to kiss him, Pitch's smile and his smug laugh. The words fit perfectly, he wanted Pitch to be his in every way possible. Jack took a deep shuddering breath "You've been on the edge of my every thought since that first kiss…And even though you're no longer a villain, you have stolen my heart"

Jack lifted his eyes. Golden irises smoldered with a level of emotion that made his knees feel weak. Pitch released Jack's hands, bent and threw the younger immortal over his shoulder. Taking several quick strides, Pitch tossed Jack onto the couch. The breath whooshed out of his lungs and his stomach twisted with anticipation and nerves. Gracefully as ever, Pitch slid above. One knee between Jack's and the other almost sinking into the cushions, his hands just above the blue clad shoulders.

"Really? On a couch?" Jack tried to speak evenly, but his voice cracked slightly.

Pitch ran the tip of his tongue over his upper lip "It's a sexy couch…all this leather" He crushed his lips to Jack's. Their tongues slid together in an intimate dance.

Jack wriggled, freeing his trapped arms and wrapping them around Pitch's back. He clung for a moment, torn between removing the cloth barriers between them and pressing closer. The other immortal made the choice for him and yanked his hoodie off. Pitch elicited a moan as he sucked a new mark on the snowy neck. Moving lower, Pitch took a hard nipple into his mouth and sucked.

Jack arched against the dark immortal, causing their bodies to rub together. A low growl came from deep in Pitch's throat. With growing urgency, Jack shoved his fingers underneath Pitch's black clothes, desperate to feel flesh beneath his fingers. The edges of the shadow cloth had gone all ragged as if Pitch were losing focus.

"Are…Are you naked under there?" Jack asked breathlessly.

"Maybe, have you been wondering?"

"Well…mmmm…I…might have".

Pitch broke the contact, his face inches from Jack's "I've imagined you naked. Every inch of your beautiful white skin exposed".

Jack blushed a deep blue, his fingers pressed into Pitch's flesh. His heart hammering, limbs feeling light and heavy at the same time. Pitch slowly pulled the drawstring that held Jack's pants together. He pulled the brown trousers off with a slightly violent tug. Gently, as if he were precious, fragile, Pitch slid a hand under Jack's knee and pressed a light kiss to top of the Joint. A quiet gasp escaped his lips as his skin tingled, hypersensitive.

"Why are you wearing pants from several hundred years ago with boxers?" Pitch quirked an eyebrow at him, lips parted in a smirk.

"Jeans…are kind of restricting…I move around a lot…Boxers are more comfortable and so is my hoodie".

"Interesting" Pitch leaned forward. His knee pressed between Jack's legs. He slid one arm beneath Jack's back pulling him off the couch and supporting him at the same time. Jack arched his neck. For a few moments, Pitch let him control the kiss. It was soft. With a slow stroke up Jack's bare leg and over his hip, Pitch took it back. The touch sent a shiver of desire up the younger immortal's spine. Slowly, Pitch traced the mark just below his collar bone with a long finger. "You. Are. Mine."

Jack felt his heart flutter. A breath of freezing air left his lips. He clamped a hand over his mouth. Pitch grinned "Starting to lose control?" Jack removed his hand to make a retort, but Pitch kissed him, swallowing any words. The arm Pitch had wrapped around Jack's back tightened and his other hand gripped Jack's thigh. Even though he hadn't really felt heat in years, Jack could have sworn the warmth of the sun touched him everywhere Pitch's skin came in contact with his own. He pulled impatiently at Pitch's clothes.

Pitch pulled back, his smile crooked "You can't get them off like that"

"Could you…You know…"

"What?"

Jack smacked him on the shoulder "Why do you have to be such an antagonist?"

Pitch's eyes widened in mock innocence "I have no clue as to what you mean" He couldn't hold the expression. "It's not as if you don't like it. I told you I would make you ask for it".

"Pitch…" Jack glared at him and gripped tighter.

"Say it"

Jack looked sideways "Please take your clothes off".

"Hmmm?"

"Take your damn clothes off!" Jack growled

Pitch's golden eyes seemed to glitter "As you wish".

Like mist in bright daylight the robe-like garment dissipated and disappeared. While the fact that Pitch could dissolve his clothing at will was mildly interesting, Jack found what lay underneath intensely interesting. Pitch's body was lean and lightly muscled like that of a runners. Smooth silvery skin flowed over lightly defined abs. The elegant lines of Pitch's hip bones were cut off by a pair of black fitted trunks.

"You were wearing something".

"You seem disappointed…Don't worry, when they come off and you won't be disappointed…Jack".

Suddenly, Pitch's entire expression changed. Brows meeting in a sharp slash and eyes narrowing. He stared intently at the wall between them and the next apartment.

"Pitch, what's wrong?" Jack said, a spike of fear shooting through his gut.

"We're surrounded by people, people going to sleep".

"Yeah…?"

"The fearlings have come".


End file.
